LET'S DO THIS!
It was a frigid 47 when we left this morning. I may have been a little under-coated but we set our sights on a forecasted 74. We are loving the unseasonably cool weather.
Jeff may have taken offense at my term of endearment yesterday. I won't repeat what I said, but who could be upset about being called a furry little friend? He took off at 29 mph on the flats. I hung with him for 5 miles and then had to let him go. A short while later Howie ran him down, talked him off the ledge and they were waiting for me down the road.
The route today was 42 miles with an option to do 70. Always take the long route, the scenic route. We hit our first stop, 1880 town in just over an hour. Scenes from the movie "Dances with Wolves" were filmed there. Some bikers toured this and said it was good. We turned north for a 30-mile round trip to Midland population 129. The main attraction there was the historic Stroppel Hotel and its geothermal spas. You could take a dip for $10, and some scheduled massages. It was a bit rustic but that history and nostalgia are certainly something to love about RASDak.
On the way to Midland, I stopped to take a picture of a deer and then a camel. That's right, I said camel. It was a one-humper. I'm pretty sure he's not native. He just kept staring at me like he'd never seen an old man in spandex before! Guess he thought I looked out of place too.
We had 3342 feet of climb on today's ride. A lot of that was right around Midland where we went up and down the bluffs of the Bad River. I'm looking forward to crossing the Good River. Maybe that's later in the ride?
Much of our ride today was alongside rolling prairie ranches. We had tailwinds for the majority of the ride. You'll be happy to know we have an answer to yesterday's riddle. Howie had another flat and he changed it all by himself. It only takes one Dutchman to change a tire.
We arrived in Murdo where I snapped some pics of some great signs. I just love the nostalgic route 66 feel to these pre-interstate highway towns.
In Murdo I finally did it. I went to the famous Pioneer Auto Museum. I enjoyed the museum. I was sitting at a chair relaxing in the gift shop when an elderly gentleman in a walker approached me. I recognized him immediately as the founder, Dave Geisler. He and the museum have been featured frequently on a show I like called "American Pickers." Mr. Geisler was very kind. I took a picture with him and he kept giving me more things, all of which he autographed. The gifts included a booklet on the history of the museum, a magazine with a feature article on the museum, and finally a booklet entitled, "The Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth." On the latter he drew a cross.
The dinner tonight was provided by the Jones County Turner Youth Foundation. The free will donations from bikers for these meals support many great causes and the food was outstanding.
The big story of the day is that we are still in the wild west. The 3 elderly ladies serving lunch at 1880's town and raising money for the local cancer society were robbed. The good news is 3 bikers chased the perpetrator and ultimately a gun-toting rancher held him for the police. The donation bucket was recovered. Apparently, a video of the incident was sold to the Associated Press so perhaps you know more than I do by now.
You can't write this stuff people but if you join me again tomorrow, I'll try. Happy trails!
Todd Moss is a retired architect, a world traveler, a biker , and a blogger. Todd and his wife Rhonda organize and lead tours around the world. He has been in all fifty states, fifty-five countries, and 6 continents so far. You can follow this and his other adventures at http://www.facebook.com/extratouchtours.